Simple Chukka

[Mablung]

Well, I've finally made a foray into shoemaking, beyond the pair of moccasins I made my wife. This was a little different. I used the Simple Shoemaking stitch-down chukka pattern for these. I had to adapt the pattern to my larger foot, but other than having to figure out how to adjust the fit for the heel so that my heel isn't right on top of the rear seam, I think I got the fit adjustments just right. Now to wear them for a week to break them in and figure out what mistakes I made, other than slightly wandering stitch lines (had to eyeball the placement of my chisels) and slightly ragged, uneven edges. 

[AlZilla]

Congrats on that accomplishment.  What did you do for soles? I've looked and between sizing them right and high cost, I'm still sporting wally world sneaks.

[Mablung]

Why thank you. They were really fairly easy to do, since I didn't make the pattern myself. I used crepe rubber from Tandy, cut from the 1/8"-thick sheets they sell. Intentionally minimalist soles; only insole is a piece of the same 4/5 oz. oil tan I used for the upper. 

[Mablung]

1 hour ago, AlZilla said:

Congrats on that accomplishment.  What did you do for soles? I've looked and between sizing them right and high cost, I'm still sporting wally world sneaks.

Forgot to say earlier, the sizing was pretty easy on these.  I used the largest pattern in the "Simple Ecological Shoemaking" book available on Etsy and adjusted it for my couple-sizes-larger feet and adjusted the width a little to better accommodate my forefoot.  With some careful measuring and re-measuring to get the foot measurement right and keep the sole/heel/vamp proportions right, getting the size dialed in was pretty easy.  These need just a little adjustment, but I wanted to make another pair in a different color anyway.  The heel/ankle piece needs to be a bit taller and I need to adjust the length of the heel in a way I haven't quite determined yet to get the heel seam out from under my heel, when the shoes are on.  I think adding a heel cup will help in that regard.  I may add a toebox piece as well to give the toebox some more shape and a little panache.

[Aven]

Well done.  Those are more than a little respectable especially for a first attempt.

Sharon has a couple of YouTube videos where she talks about drafting a pattern to fit you. They are worth the watch.

If I understand your issue correctly about the heel seam bothering you, it's like it's kind of bunching up under your heel like the leather is sagging.  If so then you are right a heel cap will help stabilize things. You can also cut your quarters at the heel. Shape the cut so that the bottom inch or two has a slight curve on each side of the dart. When you sew them together with a butt seam it will curve the bottom, mimicking the round shape of your heel. You don't have to cut the quarters in half, just a small curved dart out of the bottom two inches or so.  Just enough to the make the leather mimic the shape of your heel. I have used sheets of craft foam (eva) to work out how wide, how tall and how much curve to cut the dart to make it to fit without using good leather. Then put a cap over that and no one will see the butt seam.  Don't forget to skive the bottom edges if you put heel or toe caps on, else it might get too thick on you.

Hope that makes sense.

[chuck123wapati]

heck yea!!!! I'm working driving mocs today lol wish me luck.

[Mablung]

10 minutes ago, chuck123wapati said:

heck yea!!!! I'm working driving mocs today lol wish me luck.

Knock 'em dead. A while back I did a pair of basic scout moccasins for my wife that she uses as slippers and to run outside briefly. The hardest part was getting the puckers in the toe box right; I didn't have a scratch awl at the time, but sticking it in the pucker space like the directions said to do would have helped keep everything even. 

[chuck123wapati]

5 minutes ago, Mablung said:

Knock 'em dead. A while back I did a pair of basic scout moccasins for my wife that she uses as slippers and to run outside briefly. The hardest part was getting the puckers in the toe box right; I didn't have a scratch awl at the time, but sticking it in the pucker space like the directions said to do would have helped keep everything even. 

those shoes look pretty darn good did you put a heel on also?

[Mablung]

10 hours ago, Aven said:

Well done.  Those are more than a little respectable especially for a first attempt.

Sharon has a couple of YouTube videos where she talks about drafting a pattern to fit you. They are worth the watch.

If I understand your issue correctly about the heel seam bothering you, it's like it's kind of bunching up under your heel like the leather is sagging.  If so then you are right a heel cap will help stabilize things. You can also cut your quarters at the heel. Shape the cut so that the bottom inch or two has a slight curve on each side of the dart. When you sew them together with a butt seam it will curve the bottom, mimicking the round shape of your heel. You don't have to cut the quarters in half, just a small curved dart out of the bottom two inches or so.  Just enough to the make the leather mimic the shape of your heel. I have used sheets of craft foam (eva) to work out how wide, how tall and how much curve to cut the dart to make it to fit without using good leather. Then put a cap over that and no one will see the butt seam.  Don't forget to skive the bottom edges if you put heel or toe caps on, else it might get too thick on you.

Hope that makes sense.

Thanks. And you're right on about the heel seam issue. I'll fiddle with some craft foam and figure out how to put a dart in the heel as you described. I also need to adjust the height and length of the top of the upper, as it gaps at my Achilles tendon; I think I need to cut the upper piece in more of a trapezoid shape rather than a rectangle. 

1 minute ago, chuck123wapati said:

those shoes look pretty darn good did you put a heel on also?

No, zero drop on these. I've worn "barefoot" style shoes for several years now and swear by them. So, no heel, and the sole is quite thin: just the leather insole glued to a thin piece of crepe rubber as the outsole. I'll take a pic of the side of the shoe this evening. 

[Aven]

17 minutes ago, Mablung said:

Thanks. And you're right on about the heel seam issue. I'll fiddle with some craft foam and figure out how to put a dart in the heel as you described. I also need to adjust the height and length of the top of the upper, as it gaps at my Achilles tendon; I think I need to cut the upper piece in more of a trapezoid shape rather than a rectangle.

If its gapping at the top, you need to do the same up there.  Look on page 51 of Sharon's pdf.  The pattern are curved at the heel.  That's what yours should look like, smooth curves.

The Velle pattern on PDF page  61, book page 55 is a better example of what I'm talking about.

Edited January 8, 2024 by Aven

[Mablung]

1 hour ago, Aven said:

If its gapping at the top, you need to do the same up there.  Look on page 51 of Sharon's pdf.  The pattern are curved at the heel.  That's what yours should look like, smooth curves.

The Velle pattern on PDF page  61, book page 55 is a better example of what I'm talking about.

Now that you say that, I think I noticed well after I had cut the pieces and begun construction that I had made straight cuts rather than curving it properly. Guess I'll just have to make another pair to get all that right. 

[Aven]

26 minutes ago, Mablung said:

Now that you say that, I think I noticed well after I had cut the pieces and begun construction that I had made straight cuts rather than curving it properly. Guess I'll just have to make another pair to get all that right. 

Its not like I've ever done that myself.

Cool.  Now you've had a run through this pair should be easier and fun.  You've got your pattern mostly figured out, just a couple of tweaks and you'll have one that you can use for high boots or low shoes.

Other than the heel and the eyelets, you really did do a great job.  The eyelets?  Yeah, you're gone wanna reinforce them with another piece of leather to keep the single piece of leather from distorting and the eyelets pulling out.  Look at pdf page 49, book page 43.  Take your time with these.  Its easy to get turned around so I suggest doing one at time, from start to finish.

[Mablung]

28 minutes ago, Aven said:

Its not like I've ever done that myself.

Cool.  Now you've had a run through this pair should be easier and fun.  You've got your pattern mostly figured out, just a couple of tweaks and you'll have one that you can use for high boots or low shoes.

Other than the heel and the eyelets, you really did do a great job.  The eyelets?  Yeah, you're gone wanna reinforce them with another piece of leather to keep the single piece of leather from distorting and the eyelets pulling out.  Look at pdf page 49, book page 43.  Take your time with these.  Its easy to get turned around so I suggest doing one at time, from start to finish.

Well thanks. I thought about doing the reinforcement piece, decided against it to make these look sleek and minimal, and wondered after I set the eyelets if that was a mistake. Your feedback confirms that, so I'll add that to the next pair. I'll probably start on them tonight, after I get back from the gym. 

[engblom]

I am new to shoe making and still waiting for my tools to come, and I try to do a bit of research before beginning my first project. What is the advantages and disadvantages of attaching the sole in the way you did? I mean, most shoes seems to pull the uppers in under the foot. You got it going the other direction, attaching it on the outside instead.

[Wepster]

Upstate NY has a small shoe manufacturer, whose Chukka looks a lot like yours! Though you might like to see their site

https://www.aurorashoeco.com/collections/all-products

[Aven]

This style of shoe making is called stitch down and it doesn't require a last. You can use a last, but it isn't necessary.  You can just use the pattern and match up edges or you can make the upper a bit oversized and use the wear's foot as a last and glue the upper to the sole.  Since the stitching is on the outside, it can easily be done by hand.

Sharon Raymond has done a a Youtube channel called Simple Shoemaking. On her channel she talks about doing stitch down vs traditional methods. Her unique approach that makes shoe making accessible to almost everyone.  She has several books up on Etsy that are downloadable PDFs.  In one of them she talks about making lasts out of cloth and clay. 

 

[Mablung]

1 hour ago, Aven said:

This style of shoe making is called stitch down and it doesn't require a last. You can use a last, but it isn't necessary.  You can just use the pattern and match up edges or you can make the upper a bit oversized and use the wear's foot as a last and glue the upper to the sole.  Since the stitching is on the outside, it can easily be done by hand.

Sharon Raymond has done a a Youtube channel called Simple Shoemaking. On her channel she talks about doing stitch down vs traditional methods. Her unique approach that makes shoe making accessible to almost everyone.  She has several books up on Etsy that are downloadable PDFs.  In one of them she talks about making lasts out of cloth and clay. 

 

^ This. I haven't made any clay lasts yet, though I plan to once I get a good handle on the stitch-down style. Then I'll do some lasted ones. The stitch-down is simply easier to start with.

One can also get the seam running on the inside by doing a turn-shoe, but that's a somewhat different matter altogether. 

[engblom]

18 hours ago, Aven said:

This style of shoe making is called stitch down and it doesn't require a last. You can use a last, but it isn't necessary.  You can just use the pattern and match up edges or you can make the upper a bit oversized and use the wear's foot as a last and glue the upper to the sole.  Since the stitching is on the outside, it can easily be done by hand.

Sharon Raymond has done a a Youtube channel called Simple Shoemaking. On her channel she talks about doing stitch down vs traditional methods. Her unique approach that makes shoe making accessible to almost everyone.  She has several books up on Etsy that are downloadable PDFs.  In one of them she talks about making lasts out of cloth and clay. 

 

Would it make sense to do the stitch so it bends and comes out through the side of the sole, so the thread is not under the sole. I might be wrong but I suspect the threads would wear out quite fast (faster than the sole) if they are stitched under the sole.

[Wepster]

I believe with stitch down, the upper is stitched to a midsole, an outsole is then glued to the midsole. Look at the link I did above to Aurora shoe, they have decent photos of their shoes. You can see the sole has no stitches. Or with thick enough soles, you cut a grove in the outsole for the stitches. 

[Mablung]

7 hours ago, engblom said:

Would it make sense to do the stitch so it bends and comes out through the side of the sole, so the thread is not under the sole. I might be wrong but I suspect the threads would wear out quite fast (faster than the sole) if they are stitched under the sole.

Turn-shoes are done that way, with a butt stitch. I have seen it done with other stitch-down styles (a friend's wife wears some that are stitched like that), but those soles are thicker than the ones on mine. But conceivably one could do that. 

3 hours ago, Wepster said:

I believe with stitch down, the upper is stitched to a midsole, an outsole is then glued to the midsole. Look at the link I did above to Aurora shoe, they have decent photos of their shoes. You can see the sole has no stitches. Or with thick enough soles, you cut a grove in the outsole for the stitches. 

With mine, I stitched all the way through because that's what the directions in the book I was using said to do and it was easier to do that way. I really should have stitched to the leather midsole and then glued the outsole, though. I'll do that next time around. That said, I did pull the stitches tightly enough that they dug into the rubber and are, for the most part, protected from wear (for now). I intend to make a better pair soon anyway and will make some adjustments then. 

[Wepster]

@Mablungyour work has motivated me to try them myself. Not that I think it looks easy, but it is doable. Just got a copy of shoes for free people used, (cheap! $7.80!). What have I got to lose? some time, some leather (if I really goof up, use the leather for key rings, bracelets!).

Thank you.

[rleather]

Man those look comfortable! Nice job.

[Mablung]

1 hour ago, Wepster said:

@Mablungyour work has motivated me to try them myself. Not that I think it looks easy, but it is doable. Just got a copy of shoes for free people used, (cheap! $7.80!). What have I got to lose? some time, some leather (if I really goof up, use the leather for key rings, bracelets!).

Thank you.

Oh, it really is easy. I didn’t make the pattern from scratch, but adapting one was simple. So you’re the one who swiped the cheap copies I found! Man, I had internet issues and missed getting one. Lol. Anywho, these things are not hard to make at all. Go for it! Glad I motivated you to try. 

43 minutes ago, rleather said:

Man those look comfortable! Nice job.

Thank you! They are very comfortable. The next iteration will be even better. 

[Wepster]

There was one on ebay, gone Monday morning, then I found one on Alibris, there and Second Sale are good used book sites. Sorry, sorta, that I scarfed one.

There was a leather vendor at the Ithaca NY farmers market last fall that had shoes. Basic stitch down chukka style. Similar to the Aurora shoes. That got me thinking, then your post.....

I do really like shoes......

[Mablung]

25 minutes ago, Wepster said:

There was one on ebay, gone Monday morning, then I found one on Alibris, there and Second Sale are good used book sites. Sorry, sorta, that I scarfed one.

There was a leather vendor at the Ithaca NY farmers market last fall that had shoes. Basic stitch down chukka style. Similar to the Aurora shoes. That got me thinking, then your post.....

I do really like shoes......

Well, I can’t blame you for the eBay one disappearing, then, as that was the only one in that price range I found. Wasn’t willing to pay the price asked for a few others I found. Anyway, I also like shoes, especially the kind that fit well and don’t cause joint misalignment. And bonus points if I can say I made them myself.